[1:24 AM]
The man sighs. The face of the card keeps changing. He glances at the woman standing in front of the empty abandoned building. She looks up at the window of the apartment number 512. She slumps her shoulders and sits near the entrance.
Though her expression is dull, her thoughts are loud.
[Am I doing the right thing?]
[Can we defeat the demon?]
[I can only sense a trace of dark energy. It's not like that day. Can I help Morita San in this state? Did my abilities have to fade today? Couldn't they fade tomorrow or the day after tomorrow? It was better if they left my body for once and all.]
Dejected, she tilts her head to the right. [Nothing feels right.]
It's probably because he's attuned to her mind since he found her.
It's been seven years. Ironically, he found her in the cemetery for the first time. That day, he changed her fate. Each time, she came across death. He came and changed it. He made her forget. He suppressed her abilities that would have awakened long ago.
[I wonder... why I am thinking about that cemetery ghost again. Sei thinks that he's my boyfriend.]
She exhales. [I want to meet my saviour.]
He also wants to meet her. He wants her to know him, but knowing him will come at a price. It's best for her if her abilities never wake up. She doesn't need to carry the weight of someone else's sins. He will do everything in his power to give her a life close to normalcy.
However, there's a limit. He can't interfere in her life all the time. Everything comes with a price. He looks at the card again -- A skeleton marching with a horse. It's the card of Death. Whether it's the change or her demise, he will prevent it.
He wonders what it is this time. He can't interfere until that moment come.
[It's not easy to be around Minami Kun. He is so arrogant. He is always doing whatever he wants. Why does he never listen to me? He doesn't believe me either.]
The man releases another sigh. Hearing the thoughts of a woman in love is not easy either.
[Can anyone love a woman who can see ghosts?]
The man smiles and nods when he hears that question. There are men like that. He can't go to her and tell her that. Still, he wonders how she would react if he could ever meet her?
The night gets colder. Wakana looks up at the sky. In the city's sky, she can't see the stars as clearly as she could see in the sky above her village. It's a moonless night. She feels lonely. On nights like this, she wishes to be with someone. There's only one someone in her mind and that someone already has a girlfriend.
He wouldn't have liked her even if he didn't have a girlfriend. Why did they meet again after seven years? She took a different path intentionally because she couldn't bear to follow me anymore.
After seven long years, they are in the same division again. They are even partners.
What partner? He doesn't believe her. He has no faith in her. He's the same. He's like everyone. It's not surprising, but it is disappointing. She wanted him to be different.
"I am sorry," He whispers to the breeze, hoping that it would reach her and soothe her bruised heart. If he could, he would make her like everyone else. However, it's beyond his abilities. Even gods cannot undo it.
Wakana raises her head and looks in the direction of the man. She can't see him. She wonders if there are ghosts around. She's sure that she heard a whisper in the cool breeze. Which ghost is apologizing to her? Is it one of those perverts? She isn't accepting.
"Nakashima San, how long have you been waiting?"
She jumps when she hears the voice. It's Morita Aiko, dressed in a black long dress and leather boots. She's carrying a bag. Her hair is neatly tied into a bun. She's also wearing black leather gloves. Wakana finds it odd that she's carrying an umbrella. There's not a single cloud in the sky.
Wakana relaxes and says, "It hasn't been long."
"There's still time." Morita Aiko smiles at her. "Are you afraid?"
"I am afraid," Wakana replies to her. "But, Morita San is right. I can't live my life in fear. I will face my fears."
Watching them from afar, the man massages the space between his brows. Each time she decides to be brave, there's death waiting for her. It's better if she lives her life in a cowardly manner with little more cautions.
"Let's go upstairs. There's isn't much time left." Morita Aiko walks into the apartment without any fear or hesitation. Wakana runs after her. She hears her say. "There's so much to do and so little time."
Morita San is serious. Wakana quietly climbs the stairs behind her. Unlike the last time, she can barely sense the demon. As they get closer to the fifth floor, it gets quieter. She feels her heart drumming against her chest. The urge to turn around and run on her heels become stronger. She forces herself to climb the stairs.
Morita Aiko holds the knob of the door leading to the demon. She looks back at her with a warm look in her eyes. "Nakashima San, are you afraid?"
How can she not be? "...Yes."
Morita Aiko turns the knob. She pushes the door open. Wakana looks into the darkness in the apartment. She can't see the demon as precisely as before. She can make out his outline.
Feeling like needles are stabbing her skin, Wakana wraps her arms around herself. "Morita San, do we have to go inside?"
When she doesn't hear any answer, she looks at the woman beside her. Morita Aiko steps closer to her until her mouth is only a few inches away from her ear. "Nakashima San, do you know that half-knowledge is worse than no knowledge?"
"I don't understand, Morita San." Wakana frowns at her.
Seeing her so clueless, Morita Aiko's laughter echoes through the corridor.
Wakana senes something inching closer to her. She looks over her shoulder. She opens her mouth, but the voice dies in her throat. He smiles at her when he senses the dread in Wakana's soul. Such a powerful soul is within his grasp.
"Nakashima San, thank you for trusting me."